Playtest 2

Playtest 2 was another success, even though we didn’t get to drop Banquo into the mix. Before we let him mess up Macbeth’s plan, we need to get a solid handle on whether our health (or, in our case, “bloodlust”) meter is legible to players. So that’s what we focused on for the second playtest.

It’s tempting to explain all the mechanics to a new playtester before ze has a chance to play the game, but then we won’t know where the design flaws are. I’m curious to see if additional sound effects will help draw attention to the metrics; they’re not in the build we tested yesterday, but they’re next on the list.

We’re hoping not to have to resort to on-screen instructions, the narrator’s voice-over of game design. Deep inside the design process – or, in theatre, the rehearsal process – it’s easy to lose sight of what will register with an audience and what will be too nuanced.

Here’s a clip of a playtester defeating many placeholder silhouettes. When we finally drop in the kern and gallowglass enemy avatars, it will be so jarring. I’ll miss these shadows.